Crossword Genius

Protective item, article inclined to be cut (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

apron

'protective item' is the definition.

'article inclined to be cut' is the wordplay.
'article' becomes 'a' (example of the part-of-speech).
'inclined' becomes 'prone' (similar in meaning).
'to be cut' means to remove the last letter.
'prone' with its last letter taken away is 'pron'.
'a'+'pron'='APRON'

(Other definitions for apron that I've seen before include "Cook's garment" , "Put on to protect" , "Pinny -part of the fairway leading onto the green" , "edge" , "Protective garment - type of stage" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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